Coal-handling machinery



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

C E. WOLL.

GOAL HANDLING MACHINERY. No. 533,767. Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

FIG. 9.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.. C. E. WOLLE.

GOAL HANDLING MACHINERY.

No. 533,767. Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

AAW

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Medel.)

C. E. WOLL. GOAL HANDLNG MAGHINERY. No. 533,767. Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

FIGAZ.

llll Il Unirse Srl-'tres- PArnNr rrrcn@ CHARLES n. vvoLLn, or PHILADELPHIA, PnNNsYLi/*ANIA COAL-HANDLING MACHINERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,767, dated February 5, 1895.

Application tiled February 16, 1894. Serial No. 500,382. (No model.)

To a!! whom it r11/tty concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. WOLL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Coal-Handling Machinery, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to so construct coal handling machinery that coal can be delivered from storage bins to hoppers in front of steam boiler furnaces.

While my invention relates particularlyV to the carrying of coal from storage bins below the boiler floor to a point above the hopper for feeding automatic stokers, still it can be used for other purposes such, for instance, as carrying coal to heating furnaces or carrying material other than coal.

In the accompanying drawingss-Figure l, is a front elevation of my improved coal handling machinery, with the building shown in section. Fig. 2, isasectional plan View. Fig. 3, is an enlarged section on the line 33, Fig. 2. Fig. e, is a transverse section on the line 4--4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is a side View showing the valve and conducting tube. Fig. 6 is a sectional plan on the line G6, Fig. 5. Fig. 7,is a section on the line 7 7, Fig. 5. Fig. S, is a side view of the driving mechanism. Fig. 9, is an end View of the driving mechanism. Fig. 10, is aplan view slightly enlarged showing the engagement of the driving wheel with the chain. Fig. Il, is a diagram illustrating the action of the tripping device; and Fig. 12 is a view of a modification of the bucket.

In the present construction of steam power plants it has been customary to mount the boilers on the door above the ground level so as to insure the proper foundation for engines and dynamos and so that coal can be stored in bins belovi7 the level of the floor. Consequently it is desirable to convey by machinery the coal from the storage bin to the hoppers in front of the furnaces so as to save as much labor as possible in the handling of coal.

Referring to the drawings, A'is the storage bin for the coal. ct is the floor upon which is built a series of steamboiler furnaces B each having automatic stoking apparatus b provided with hoppersh for coal. As this automatic stoking apparatus forms no part of my invention I have not shown it in detail.

Mounted above the hoppers b and in front ol' the boiler furnaces are large hoppers Dotl the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4r. The bottom of each hopper is inclined as shown to an outlet CZ having a nozzle D in which is a slide valve CZ by which the supply of coal from the hopper is cut ed. This valve, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, has a lug d2 pivoted to an operating lever cl3 hung at d* to the frame d5, so that on moving the lever in the direction of its arrow, Fig. 5,' the valve will be opened and When moved in the opposite direction the valve will be closed. The end of the valve, as shown in Fig. 6, is tapered on each side so that it will readily cnt through the mass of coal.

Pivoted to the nozzle lD is a tube D2 which extends to a point above the hopper and is so hung on a pivot pin Z22 that it can swing the entire length of the stoker hopper b' and thussupplyooal to the hopper evenly throughout its length. The tube D2 also has a slight movement toward and from the furnace as the opening for the passage of the pivot bolt b2 is slightlyT elongated as shown in Fig. 7.

E is an endless conveyor to the chain of which are pivoted buckets c shown in Figs l and 3. The conveyor chains pass around chain Wheels F on the door A and around chain Wheels F above the hoppers D so that the conveyor Will carry the coal in the buckets from the storage bin A up through the floor o to a point above the hoppers D into Which the coal is discharged from the buckets, the chains being then directed down through the floor A to the storage bin in which the buckets are again filled. The buckets may be lled by shoveling or the coal may be fed to the buckets by gravity.

The conveyor is driven by the mechanism 'shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The two chains at each side of the buckets are adapted to the sprocket Wheels g, g mounted on a shaft G which is driven from the driving shaft G through the Worm g and worm Wheel g2.

The sprocket teeth are not only adapted to the cavity between the links ot the chain but are also adapted to the spaces at each side of the center link as shown in Fig. l0, there being practically two sets of teeth Lt u one central set u acting as pins and the other set 'a' forming sockets thus insuring the proper engagement of the chain with the driving mech- IOO anism, but it will be understood that other driving mechanism may be employed without departing from my invention.

Within each hopper D is a balance lever mechanism forming the tripping device H, shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. By setting this tripping device the buckets can be discharged into the hopper.

Hung in suitable bearings z' on a frameI is a lever II consisting of the side arms h, h, shaft h', cross bar h2 and arm h3 having a balance weight by which the arm may be accurately balanced on eachY side of the pivot.

'In the present instance this arm is secured to the shaft h but in some instances may form part of one ot' the side arms.

On the bottom of each bucket is a depending button e which comes in contact with the cross bar h2 when the lever II is moved from its normal position to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, and as the bucket travels it will carry the lever with it, as shown in Fig. 1l, and the bucket will be turned suffi,- ciently to discharge its contentsl into the hopper at the same time freeing itself from the' bar which is returned by the balance weight to position and as the bottom ofthe bucket is heavier than the top it will assume the position shown clearly in Fig. l. i

` In order to insure the proper engagement of the bucket with the tripping deviceI mount on uprights t', supporting wheels t3 for the chain E so that when the buckets come to the point of engagement with the tripping device they will be in line.

In order to throw the tripping device into and out of action a shaft Iis mounted in the frame I, and' secured to the shaft are two arms jj which rest against the arms hof the tripping device and when the armsjj'are moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 they raisetl'ie bar h2, so that it will bein the path of thebuttons on the buckets, but when thearms are moved to the position shown by dottedlines in Fig. 3, they will allow the tripping device to fall to its normal position clear. of the buckets. The shaftl I is extended through the hopper as shown in'Fig. 4, andon this shaft is a chain wheel j around which passes an operating chain extending down to a point within easy reach of the attendant so that on pulling on one run of the chain'the tripping device can bethrown into action and by Pull@ ing on the opposite run the tripping device can be thrown out of action. Bythis construction onlyvone hopper at' a time canjbe charged.

In Fig. l2, I. have shown the buttons arranged in different positions on the buckets. For instance, the buttonlot one bucket' may be placed at one side of the center andthe button of the next bucket may be placed.k on the opposite side and the tripping mechanism of one hopper may strike all the buttons on one side while the tripping mechanism of the other hopper may strike the buttons 0n the opposite side. Thus the buckets would be discharged alternately in dierent hoppers.

It will be seen by the above that coal can be readily carried from the bin to the hopper above the furnaces and discharged into any one or more of the hoppers D and the coal canv be drawn from these hoppers by simply operating the valve in the neck D', and by moving the tube D2 the coal can be spread evenly in the hopper b ofthe stoking mechanism.

While I have particularly described my improvements in connection with automatic stokers for steam boilers and for handling coal it will be understood'that the invention can be used for handling other material as well such for instance as sand, ore, stone, che.

I claim as my invention-f;-

1. The combination inr conveying apparatus, of the continuous conveyerconsisting of two chains, with a series ofjpivoted buckets between them, al hopper, and tripping mechanism for the buckets normally. held out of line With'the buck/ets, 'consisting of the balance lever mehanism' with means for throwing the tripping imechanism in lille S0 as to discharge the buckets. into' the hvppr., Substautially as described,-

' 2. Thecombination oftheendless conveyer epnssting of. twoI chains, Vpivoted buckets hung` to the two chains, wheelsaround which the chains pass, driving mechanism for the conveyer, a series of hoppers, a tripping device consisting ofthe balancelever mechanism mountedabove each hopper and Set normally out ot action, with a device for throwing each tripping'device intofand out of action so that the contentsof the buckets may be discharged into encor other of the hoppers, substantially' as described.

3. vThe combinatie1..1.y Olii the, convveyer, pivotedy buckets thereon, a button projecting from each bucke'tvbelow its center, a pivoted trippingvl'ever, one arm of saidlever adapted to be thrown intothepath o'ffa button on a bucket, a'balance weight on the. other arm of the lever, substantiallyk as described.

4. The combination', of the conveyer, pivotedbuckets thereon, abutton'on each bucket, a pivoted lever forming a tripping device, said lever consisting of twj arms h h, shafts h', cross bar It? and weighted arm h3, sub- Stantially as' described! 5; The combinationjof the conveyerchain, pivoted bncketsthereon, the tripping lever II',`the shaft I having an arm adapted to engage with the lever and move it` to dumping position, a chainy wheel on the end'of said shaft andan operatingchain on the handling of which the tripping device can be thrown into and outof action while the machine is in motion, substantiallyfas described.

6. 'The co'mbinationcf the chain, the pivoted bucketlconveyer thereon, a seriesot hoppers, a trippingdevice for each hopper, held normally ont, of action and means for throw- IIO ing the devices into and out of action, each bucket having a button thereon, said buttons being so arranged on the buckets that some will engage with one tripping device and discharge into one hopper and others will engage with other tripping devices and discharge into other hoppers, substantially as described.

7. The combination of the endless chain conveyer having pivoted buckets, a furnace, hoppers for each furnace, a receiving hopper mounted above said furnace hopper, tripping device in each receiving hopper for discharging the buckets of the conveyer, a discharge pipe from the receiving hopper to the furnace hopper, a valve for said discharge pipe and a swinging tube adapted to be moved across the furnace hopper, substantially as described.

S. The combination of an apparatus for conveying coal to steam boiler furnaces, the saine consisting of the endless conveyer comprising the two runs of the chain, pivoted buckets mounted between the said chains, the storage bin for the coal from which the lower run of the conveyer is supplied,steam boiler furnaces, stokers therefor, hoppers for said stokers mounted in front of each furnace, receiving hoppers mounted above the Stoker hoppers and over which the endless conveyer passes, tripping devices for discharging the buckets into any one of the receiving hoppers, a valve discharge pipe for discharging the coal from the receiving hopper by gravity and a movable tube through which the coal can be directed to the stoker hoppers with mechanism for driving the conveyer, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specilication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. WOLL.

Witnesses:

EDWIN C. FREEMAN, WILLIAM A. BARR, 

